Screen-scraper for coal-tipples.



' N0. 858.312. PATENTED JUNE 25, 1907.

W. B. THOENEN. V

SCREEN SGRAPER FOR GOAL TIPPLBS.

APPLICATION rmm JULY 12.1906. a BHEBTS-SHEET 1.

THE NORRIS PETERS co., wAsnmarolv, p. c.

" bio-858.312. PATENTBD JUNE215 -19o7.

' W.E.THOBNEN.

SCREEN SGRAPER FOR GOAL TIPPLES APPLICATION FILED JULY 12, 1906.

-- I fidla Etienne 1n: NORRIS PETERS c0., wdsumcron, n. c.

a sums-sum z.

PATENTED M1325, 1907.

No. 858,312. I

E.:THOENBN. SCREEN SGRAPBR FOR GOAL 'I'IPPLES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 112, 1906;

mlmssas 1 Tu: NORRIS PsrERs cm. WASHYINGTBN, P c.

UNITED STATES PATEN T OFFICE.

SCREEN-SCRAPER F OR COAL-TlPPLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 25, 1907.

Application filed July 12, 1906. Serial No. 325.886.

To all whmn it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. THOENEN, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of McMechen, county of Marshall, and State of West Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Screen-Scrapers for Ooal-Tipples, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in scrapers for coal screens, and more particularly to mechanism for removing coal from the screens of coal-tipples and it consists in the particular construction, arrangement and combination of arts which will hereinafter be fully described The object of the invention is to provide an automatic device for removing coal from the screens of coal tipples, and, consequently, for preventing said screens from becoming clogged.

As is well known, the middle screen. or, as it is commonly called, the threequarter screen, of coal tipples frequently becomes clogged or choked with the nut coal and slack which has passed. through the upper screen, causing much inconvenience and loss of time, inasmuch as it requires that said screen be cleaned or cleared. This is at all times somewhat difiicult, and it is rendered extremely so in cold weather by reason of the clogged'mass of coal freezing up on said threequarter screen. By my invention the said screen is automatically scraped and ke t clear of coal at all times, obviating the di' 1- culties above mentioned.

In describing the invention in detail, reference is herein had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a coal tipple, illustrating my invention; Fig. 2 is a top lan view of the same, showing a ortion of t e upper screen broken away to i ustrate the screen-scraping mechanism; Fig. 3

is a longitudinal section of the screens and. slack-chute, taken on the line 33, Fig. 2; and Fig. 4. is a perspective view of the scraper.

Referring to said drawings, in which like reference-numerals designate like parts throughout the several views1 indicates the frame-work of the front end of a coal-ti ple, 2 the screen for the lump coal, 3 t e three-quarter screen, or the screen for the nut coal, 4 the slack-chute, and 5 the basket Journaled in the opposite sides of the frame 1 is a shaft 6 on which are keyed at suitable points pulleys 7 about which are wound the basket-su porting ropes or. cables. 8. Mountedu on tli shaft 6 are pul eys 9 to which are attached; and about which are wound ropes or cables e opposlte ends'of said 10 which pass to and over pulleysll mounted upon t e ends of a shaft 12 which is jour naled in said frame. Weights 13 are suspended on the ends of said cables 10, said.

wei hts being adapted to normally hold said has et 5 in an elevated, or receiving, position. When the basket has been. filled with;

coal from the screen, the weight thereof overcomes that of the weights 13, and the basket dro s down to a position for being em tied,

or 'or delivering the coal to a car. aving been emptied, the basket is again elevated by the weig ts.

The shaft 6 is provided with a brake of any:

ordinary construction having a brake-Wheel 14 for regulating the speed and length of the drop of the basket.

Mounted on one of the ends of the shaft 12 is a large sprocket wheel 15 connected by an endless sprocket chain 16 with a small sprocket wheel 17 which is mounted uponv a shaft 18 suitably journaled in the supporting standard 19 at the front end of the screens. Said shaft 18 extends across the upper end of the slack-chute, as shown, and has mounted thereon at a suitable point, preferably mid way between its ends, a small sprocket wheel 20 which partially protrudes through an opening 21 in the apron 30 of the screen 3. Con.-

necting said sprocket wheel 20 with a similar wheel 22 mounted on a shaft 23 journaled in the sides of the slack-chute at the lower end thereof is an endless sprocket chain 24. Said sprocket wheel 22 partially protrudes through an opening 25 in said screen 3; hence the chain 24-is carried downward over the-screen 3 and upward beneath said screen, as is clearly shown in Fig. 3. Suitably attached to, or mounted upon, said chain 24 is a longitudinal metal scraper 26 which is substantially U- shape in cross section. Said scraper has attached thereto, at suitable points on each. side of its connection 27 with the chain, the ends of guy-ropes or chains 28 which have. their opposite ends attached to said chain 24' at a suitable point in the rear of said scraper, the object being to provide means whereby said scraper is at all times held squarely across the screen.

When the basket 5 has been filled with coal ing said scraper 26 to travel downward over the screen 3 from the upper to the lower end thereof, removing the coal therefrom. The gearing of my device is such that the lowering of the basket from its receiving position to its delivery position is just sufficient to produce a complete stroke of said scraper from the upper end of the screen to the lower endfjj; When the basket is emptied, it is again raised by the weights 13, and the scraper, through the intermediate mechanism, is returned, or drawn back, over the top of the screen 3 to its original position at the upper end-40f the screen thatis, in position for a repetition of the screen-scraping operation with the next lo wering of the basket.

I have described my invention in what I consider to be its simplest form,- but it is clearly obvious that various changes and alterations may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts composing the invention without departing from the general spirit and scope thereof. Hence I do not wish to limit myself to the precise construction and arrangement of partslherein shown and described. I

Having thusidescriberf1' ny, invention, 'what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a device of the character described, the combination with an ore or coal screen of a scraper mounted over said screen, a receiving basket for the coal or ore passing from said screen, means for lowering said basket, and means intermediate said basket and said scraper whereby the lowering of said basket automatically communicates motion to said scraper and causes it to travel downward over the screen and whereby the raising of said basket returns said scraper to the upper end of the screen.

2. In a device for removing coal from the screens of coal tipples, the combination with a tipple of a suitable frame, a shaft j ournaled in said frame, pulleys on said shaft, a basket, basket supporting cables on said pulleys, a scraper mounted to slide over the screen, operative connections between said shaft and said scraper, and means intermediate said shaft and said basket whereby the lowering of the latter revolves the former and, through said connections, causes said scraper to move downward over said screen.

3. In scraping mechanism for coal screens, the combination with a tipple and a screen, of a shaft ournaled in the upper end of said screen, a sprocket wheel on said shaft, intermediate its ends, a second sprocket wheel mounted in the lower end of said screen, said sprockets projecting above the screen, a sprocket chain connecting said sprockets, a scraper mounted on said chain, a basket for receiving coal from the screen, means intermediate said shaft and the basket whereby the lowering of the latter revolves the former and carries said scraper downward over the face of the screen, whereby the raising of said basket actuates said scraper to return to the upper end of the screen and means for automatically raising the basket when empty.

4. In a screen scraper, the combination with a tipple and screen, of a shaft journaled in said tipple, pulleys keyed on said shaft, a receiving basket, basket supporting ropes passed over said pulleys, pulleys on the ends of said shaft, a second shaft journaled in said tipple, )ulleys 011 the ends of the second shaft, cables extending from the pulleys on the ends of the first mentioned shaft over the pulleys carried by the second shaft, weights upon the ends of said cables, a suitably journaled shaft extending across the upper end of the screens, a sprocket wheel mounted centrally on the last mentioned shaft, a shaft journaled at the lower end of said screens, and having a sprocket wheel thereon, a sprocket chain connecting the two last mentioned sprocket wheels, a scraping member carried by said sprocket chain, and gearing intermediate the second shaft and the shaft which extends across the upper end of the screen whereby the lower-- ing of the basket actuates said scraping member to travel downward over the face of one of the screens, and the raising of the basket returns said scraping member to its original position at the upper end of the screen.

5. In a device for removing coal from the screens of coal tipples, the combination with a tipple, of a suitably located shaft journaled in said tipple, pulleys on said shaft intermediate its ends, a basket, cables wound about said pulleys and supporting said basket, pulleys upon the ends of said shaft, a second shaft journaled in front of the first mentioned shaft, pulleys upon said second shaft, cables wound about the pulleys upon the ends of the first mentioned shaft and extending to and over the pulleys on the second shaft, wei hts upon the ends of said cables, for normally holdin the basket in an elevated position, a sproc ct wheel upon the end of said second shaft, a shaft j ournaled in the upper end of said screen, a shaft in the lower end of said screen, sprocket wheels upon each of of the tipple, whereby motion in the latter is IO said shafts intermediate their ends, said communicated to the former and said scraper sprocket wheels being projected through the l is actuated to travel over said screen.

screen, a sprocket chain connecting said Signed by me in the presence of two subsprocket wheels, a scraper mounted upon scribing witnesses.

said chain, means for holding said scraper in WILLIAM E. THOENEN.

a transverse position with reference to said Witnesses:

screen, and means connecting one of the H. E. DUNLAP,

shafts and the screen with the second shaft ROBT. F. DILWORTH. 

